Elmhurst Geeks and the Rise of the Runelords

They Become Fast Friends

It was a wonderfully bright, warm first day of autumn and the Swallowtail Festival and temple consecration was upon the town of Sandpoint. The townsfolk were geeked out, and Sandpoint resembled a Renaissance Faire for the event.

With the crowd gathered and the VIPs in their booth, the Swallowtail Festival began promptly at 11:30 with a crowd pleasing, up beat, humorous speech from Mayor Deverin. With the crowd pumped and excited, the mayor introduced Sheriff Hemlock who’s dry, dour, monotone, depressing and overly long speech on safety and the tragedy of the past.

A Blast from the Past

Letting the good times roll in Sandpoint, Wealday, three days after the goblin assault, our local heroes were invited to dinner and drinks at Risa’s Place, the local neighborhood pub.

Bahne, busy working, got word while he was sweating taking down the festival bleachers, while Deivon was informed at Madame Niska’s. Bahne got word to the rest of the crew, but, when he heard Kerwin had ridden hard from Æthestan, the Vandroxan estate, he figured Lindin would be busy with family stuff for most of the day. And he was.

Why does that guy have so many arms???

Our merry band of adventurers was studying the area around the red marble statue. Deivon, concerned about the implications of the runes, translated the ancient Thassilonian script on the walls. “The Perils of Pain will Endure When Virtuous Anger Is Left Unsheathed” was written on one wall, and “Righteousness in Wrath Righteousness in Victory” was written on the other. Each written above a seven point star overlaid with another rune.

A discussion followed with Deivon explaining the symbols represents the “ancient ones” the tyrants of the past who enslaved countless souls and built the monuments that can still be seen all over Varisia. Ayra, having heard similar tales, was intrigued by this link to the long, distant past.

How a Lack of Common Sense can Hurt Your Friends

Ayra spends some time investigating the odd, red plated, spherical, zero-gravity room; taking the bottle of wine and the well illustrated tome bearing the symbol of Lamashtu. She attempts to communicate with who or whatever is forming words in the room. While she doesn’t manage to communicate with the entity, when she does address it, there seems to be a renewed urgency in the formation of runes.

After she felt confident she discovered all she could, you all attempted to descend the stairwell you found. After traveling down about ten feet, the stairwell ended in the broken rubble of a cave in. Turning back, you made you way back to the only area you haven’t investigated, the stairwell up from the red marble statue.

Introducing Deivon the Barbarian

After scavenging the dead goblins and hiding their bodies, Lindin Vandroxan, using his patented ranger skills, found a goblin trail through the dense Nettlewood, heading northward, toward Thistletop. Wending their way through the narrow, twisting path, Lindin spied what appeared to be a repurposed tent in a small clearing ahead.

The Snatch Bucket Gets Full

Leaving the the goblin druid to his own devices, fully armed and with all his gear, our heroes got down to planning how do cross the bridge to assault the fort. With concern for the lone goblin sentry watching from his tower, their safety and thinking the bridge did not meet OSHA standards, Erekhil went cautiously across the bridge first. Making it across safely, he secured the ropes holding the bridge together and tied a safety rope to the bridge support stakes.

Finding Nualia

Determined to flush out the perpetrators of the goblin assault on Sandpoint, our heroes decide to head towards the area Orik told them they would find Lyrie and Nualia.

Heading north, they first encounter a dimly lit cathedral dedicated to Lamashtu, emitting an eerie crimson glow. Erekhil peers into this room to spy two flying yeth hounds that begin to bay in a terrifying manner.

Lindin Makes a Friend

After resting, and leaving the body of Nualia in the guard tower, the heroes of Sandpoint defeated the goblin dogs prancing around the exercise yard of Thistletop. It was at that point that they noticed two dead goblins laying and rotting by a wooden cage, boarded up for good measure. Ayra, using her potent skills as a healer, deduced that these two goblins were killed by a heavy blow to the head, possibly a horse’s hoof. The soft, weak neighing coming from the boarded up cage seemed to confirm that deduction.

CSI: Sandport

Rova 14-17, 4707 AR

With the giant hermit crab defeated, Erekhil healed, and in a defensible position, our heroes decided it would was time to take a breather, eat some rations and decide on their next plan of action. When they finished eating, they banded together and spent some time gathering the long forgotten coins and gems in the abandoned treasury.

Figuring to get as much gold and silver out as they can, the group searched Thistletop for any type of bag they could find, and thankfully, there were plenty sacks around. So, they packed the bags full and loaded them on the sturdy back and shoulders of their token dwarf.

The Undead Stalk the South

Rova 17-18, 4707 AR

Finishing up their interrogations in the cells beneath Sandpoint’s garrison, our heroes are soon summoned to the mayor’s office where they are summoned to a lovely meeting with Lord Titus Scarnetti, the mayor and the sheriff and a smarmy Scarnetti sycophant. But first, they meet Lord Scarnetti’s lieutenant, Flavius d’Esdras. He clearly doesn’t have the making of an in-town foil to our heroes.